Railway-switch.



No. 628,28l. Patented July 4,1899.

H. c. DD ENKIRK. RAILWAY SWITCH.

(Application mean. 31, 1897.)

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No. 628,28l. Patented July 4, [899.

H. B. ODENKIRK.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

(A ucasim filed Dec. 31, 1897.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY c. ODENKIRK,

OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

QPEGIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,281, dated July 4, 1899.

Application filed December 31,1897. Serial No. 664,845. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY C. ODENKIRK, of Cleveland, Ouyahoga county, Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Switch-Stand and Signaling Device for Railways; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My inven tion relates to a combined switchstand and signal-operating device for railways; and its primary object is to provide a switch-throwing mechanism which will be' self-locking and which will set the switch and operate the track-signals simultaneously.

A-further object of the invention is to employ a switch-rod which will operate in the horizontal plane of the track-rails, whereby a direct longitudinal movement of the rodis insured.

A further aim of the improvement is to thoroughly protect the operative parts of the mechanism from exposure to the weather and the accumulation of dirt and to secure a positive and direct action of the switch-rod.

The construction of the mechanism will be fully described hereinafter and its novel features defined in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a track and switch with my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, of the switch-stand and its combined mechanism. Fig. 3 is a view of the switchthrowing cam detached. Fig. 4 illustrates a modified construction of the switch-throwing cam, and Figs. 5, 6, and '7 illustrate parts in detail.

The reference-letter Adesignates themain line of a railway-track,a nd B a side track provided with the switch-points b, which latter are connected in the usual manner by a tie-rod b, to which is secured one end of a switch-rod O, the opposite end of which is provided with a pin D, projecting from the rod 0 at right angles and upon which is mounted an antifriction-roller D. The end of the rod 0 carrying the roller D extends through an opening d, formed near the bottom of a casing or housing D This housing is provided with bearings f for an oscillating shaft F, the ends of which project slightly beyond the bearings f, for a purpose hereinafter explained.

Upon the shaft F is rigidly mounted a solid cam E, having a spiral groove E, formed by a spirally-disposed convolution, which tapers in height from the center toward its ends, thus forming the thickened orreinforced surfaces (2, which receive the strain of the contact of the roller D from moving the switch-rod. This taper or graduation in the height of the convolution forming the spiral groove E also facilitates the expulsion by the travel of the roller D of any dirt or dustfrom the groove E.

A further important result of the construction of the solid cam above described is that the cam is to an extent self-locking, since after the roller D has traveled the full length of the groove E, which it must do to throw the switch-rod, no reverse movement of the rod is possible without a positive rotation of the shaft F. In other words, a slight jarring of the rod 0 would not move the cam E, and while I preferably employ supplemental locking mechanism for the shaft F, as hereinafter described, an accidental failure of said locking mechanism would not necessarily result in the turning of the shaft F. Again, since it is necessary in order to throw the switch that the roller D should travel the full length of the groove E it will be obvious that if any obstruction, such as a stone or coupling-pin ,should drop between the switch-point and adjacent rail the throwing or operating cam would be interrupted in its movement, thus notifying the switchman of the presence of an obstruction which must be removed before the switch can be fully thrown.

G designates a lever secured upon one end of the shaft F and constituting themeans for oscillating said shaft. At either side of the housing is located a lock H for retaining the lever G in ahorizontal position, and thus locking the switch in either open or closed position. Each of these locks comprises a base 11, from which project a finger H and a movable member H of bell-crank form, pivotally secured by a pivot 71. to the finger H and provided at its upper end with a hook h to overlap and engage the lever G, as shown in Fig. 7. The member H is provided with a weight b for holding it in closed position,

and also with a perforated lug h to receive a padlock.

Upon the end of the shaft F opposite to that which carries the lever G is mounted a crank J, to the wrist-pinj of which is secured one end of a pitman K, the opposite end of the pitman being suitably secured to a signal blade L, carried by the signal-frame L which latter is pivotally supported upon a bracket L, supported upon a standard L rising from the top of the housing and supporting at its upper end a stationary signal-lantern M.

The signal-frame L consists mainly of a yoke comprising arms Z l and glass-supporting frames 1 Z and is pivotally secured to the bracket L, and said frame 7/ supports colored glass. As is clear from the illustration in Fig. 2, when the blade L is in the position shown in full lines the yoke carrying the colored glass will encompass the lantern M, so that the light from said lantern will show a colored signal from both sides of the switch. As soon as the switch is thrown and the signal-blade drops, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the yoke,with its colored glass, is raised above the lantern, thus changing the signal to a light of different color, as from red to white, as is well understood in railway-signaling.

In the modification shownin Fig. t a single spiral convolution is employed in combination wit-h two rollers D D, which latter straddle the spiral convolution.

I claim 1. In a railway-switch stand, the combination with the switch-rod provided with a projecting pin and a roller thereon, of a housing, a solid cam within the housing having a spiral convolution graduated in height from its center toward its ends forming thickened or reinforced surfaces and cooperating with said roller, and means for oscillating said cam.

2. In a railway-switch stand, the combination with the switch-rod, provided with a projecting pin and an antifriction-roller thereon, of a housing provided with an opening through which the switch-rod extends, and

with bearings, a shaft mounted in said bearings, a solid cam fixed to said shaft and provided with a spiral groove formed by a spirallydisposed convolution which is graduated in height from its center toward its ends to present reinforced contact-s11 rfaces for said roller, and means for oscillating said shaft and cam.

In a combined railway-switch stand and signal, the combination with the switch-rod, provided with a projecting pin and a roller thereon, of ahousing or casing, a shaft mounted in bearings of said housing, a solid cam fixed upon said shaft and having a spiral groove the walls of which are thickened or reinforced, a lever for oscillating said shaft, and a connection between said shaft and a signal-blade for operating the switch and signal simultaneously.

4. In a combined railway signal and switchstand, the combination with a housing or casing of a signal-lantern supported thereon, switch-throwing mechanism within the housing,a signal-blade connected with said switch throwing mechanism, a yoke projecting from said signal-blade, and. carrying glass whereby the light from the lantern, and a bracket rigidly secured to the switch-stand for pivotally supporting the said yoke may be reflected through said glass on opposite sides of the lantern.

5. In a railway-switch stand, the combination with the switch-rod provided with a rightangular rolling-pin and a roller mounted on said pin, of a shaft supported within a housing, a solid cam fixed on said shaft and having a spiral groove formed therein substantially as described, whereby dirt or dust may be expelled from the ends of the groove by the roller traveling therein.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification, in the presence of two witnesses, this 10th day of December, 1897.

HARRY (J. ODENKIRK.

\Vitnesses:

W. E. DONNELLY, ELLA E. TILDEN. 

